You meet a guy and make plans to see each other later. Pretty soon you’re hanging out regularly and you can see this blooming into a beautiful new relationship. Until he asks you for advice on his latest hookup. Wait, a second latest hookup? Advice? It seems that you have landed in the friend zone.
The friend zone is the desert place where the object of your affections sees you as “just friends” instead of as dating material. It was made popular on the television show “Friends”. Ross and Rachel were the quintessential power couple. If only Ross could move out of the friend zone. The term was used by Joey when he declared Ross the “mayor of friend zone”. Ross showed the signs of being the perfect boyfriend but somehow he ended up as friends only.
(Photo provided by Google Images)
Sophomore biology major Alison Post sees people landing in the friend zone often enough. “From past experiences with friends I have seen people expecting to date but instead they end up being seen as only friends,” Post said.
A predicament that some still can’t believe that they are in. Popular culture frequently uses the friend zone as a means for entertainment. In the television show Gossip Girl, Dan Humphrey finds himself hopelessly in love with Blair Waldorf.
Expect Blair sees Dan as just a shoulder to cry on and a friend to get advice from. MTV also has a new reality show called FriendZone where people who have crushes on their friends confess their true feelings for them. Sometimes these blossom into meaningful relationships and sometimes they don’t.
Junior classical language and literature major Shane Walker believes that girls get put in the friend zone because girls aren’t as aggressive as guys when pursuing someone they are interested in.
“I don’t think girls are typically bold enough to express their interest so the guys usually don’t know they’re even interested,” Walker said. “Since they don’t know they’re interested than they consider them just as friends.”
This could be the main reason people find themselves in the dreaded friend zone. It should be made clear from the start that you are interested in the person as more than a friend. If they know that than they won’t consider you a friend but a person who is interested in dating them.
Well now that you’re in the friend zone there is hope to get out of it. One of the most important tactics for getting out of the friend zone is to not be too available, according to thefrisky.com. If they know they can’t always reach you it becomes apparent that you have a life outside of being their friend.
Another fast track to the friend zone are guys who have just recently gotten out of a relationship. They aren’t looking for anything serious and after they have hooked up with you they most likely will lay down the “Let’s just be friends” line.
No matter how you ended up there, the friend zone is a place that can be escaped. However, the best way to get out of the friend zone is to never be put there in the first place.